Mussel, cherry tomato, pea and potato salad recipe

Neil Perry

Any seafood works well with this potato salad, especially prawns and scallops.

Ingredients

500g mussels, washed and cleaned

100ml white wine

4 medium pink eye potatoes

30 ripe cherry tomatoes (about 300g)

large bunch of mint

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

4 anchovies

60ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Place the mussels and wine in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and place over a high heat, shaking from time to time. When the mussels steam open, remove them from the pot and drain the liquid. Quickly rinse the mussels in cold water to stop them cooking, remove the meat from the shells and pat dry using a kitchen towel.

Boil the potatoes in a saucepan of salted water for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool, then peel. Cut into chunks and put in a bowl. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the potato. Roughly chop the mint and transfer to the bowl.

In a heavy-based frying pan, gently braise the peas and anchovies in the olive oil over low heat for 30 minutes, or until they are well cooked and starting to lose their colour. Add the balsamic vinegar and carefully season to taste, as the anchovies will be salty. Add the mussels and fold through.

Pour the pea mixture over the potato and tomato mixture and combine. Transfer to a platter or bowl and serve, with extra balsamic vinegar on the side if desired.

TIPS

A sweet, waxy potato is needed for this recipe, so kipfler or King Edwards are also good choices.

If you like, you can sprinkle microherbs such as mizuna over the salad for a restaurant-style visual flourish.